The character Adèle Blanc-Sec first appeared in a series of comic books in the 1970s, written and illustrated by the French artist Jacques Tardi. In 2010, she was brought to the screen in The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, written and directed by Luc Besson, the man responsible for Nikita, Leon and The Fifth Element. … [Read more...]
Review: The Illusionist (2010, France)
The Illusionist is an animated movie released in 2010. It is based on a script by legendary entertainer and director Jacques Tati, in which he drew on his experience as a music hall performer. Tati wrote the script for the film in 1956, but never put it into production. The script was then given to director Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendevous) in the early years of the 21st … [Read more...]
Review: Mesrine: Killer Instinct (France, 2008)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that films with a colon their title are usually rubbish. From the made for TV films with names like Tough Love: The Jackie Donovan story, to blockbusters like The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Mission: Impossible, exceptions are few and far between. Fortunately, Mesrine: Killer Instinct is one of them. Killer Instinct is the … [Read more...]
Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
What's this? There's a Buffy movie? With no Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Giles, Wesley, or Angel? And no Sarah Michelle Gellar? What is the madness? This was my reaction to the discovery of this film. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a much-loved TV show that ran between 1997 and 2003. What most people don't know, however, is that the show was actually an adaptation of a 1992 film … [Read more...]
Review: Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Directed by Andrew Jarecki (who also produced Catfish), Capturing the Friedmans is an extraordinary documentary uses a combination of home video and contemporary interviews to recount the tale of the Friedmans - a middle class suburban New York family torn apart by a child abuse scandal involving the father and youngest son. … [Read more...]
Review: The Hurt Locker (2009)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B002KAIVMC][/pullquote] Kathryn Bigelow is a film director best known for her 1991 surfer heist movie Point Break. In 2009, she became the first woman to win an Oscar for best director at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards for her gritty war drama The Hurt Locker. That … [Read more...]
Review: Midnight in Paris (2011)
More so than almost any director, Woody Allen makes films with a clear voice. His voice. In his earlier works he would star in his films, but as age has caught up with him, he has inserted various actors into his films to speak the words and opinions that he writes. Having never quite achieved the same critical success of his early films like Annie Hall and Manhattan, each new … [Read more...]
Review: Serenity (2005)
Joss Whedon is a man who made his name with his iconic TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. One TV show of his that failed to last long enough to reach the same heights of popularity was Firefly. While critically acclaimed upon release, a series of time-changes and airing episodes out of order meant that it struggled to find a fan-base and was unceremoniously booted … [Read more...]
Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy came out of nowhere to become the biggest publishing phenomenon since Harry Potter. With David Fincher directing this Hollywood movie of the first book, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, coming a mere 2 years after the Swedish language version, is it a case of too much too soon? Fincher, known best for his work on Se7en and Fight Club is able … [Read more...]
Review: The King’s Speech (2011)
When it was released at the beginning of 2011, The King's Speech was a somewhat unknown quantity. It seemed to be another British historical piece with a good cast and a healthy dollop of patriotic jingoism that would carry it to moderate success at the box office. Imagine the audiences surprise when they sat down and so a simmering epic character piece, with one of the most … [Read more...]